619 Muscle

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2010-05-07T18:51:00.001-07:00

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AMERICA THE MEDIOCRE?

2010-04-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

"America the Mediocre?"
Reprinted once again…some things are worth repeating.

"I want to rant for a minute about the changes in our culture today…

I will start out by ranting about the day I went to our daughter's soccer game at the local YMCA...she plays soccer in a "non-competitive" league...so, we're watching her little team of 10 year olds running hard to score, jamming the ball, kicking' the crap out of the other guys...winning!

After the score became imbalanced by something around 5 - 0, the ref blew his whistle and made the kids mix up the teams! Wait, wait, wait! What ever happened to WINNING as a goal? WINNING USED TO BE the driving force behind progress and positive change in our society...

I don't know what's going on here but it appears to this hard-working, striving-to-win-this-game-of-life writer that we are breeding a nation of half-assing, compromising, mediocrity-accepting kids...and we are in danger of this mindset deeply permeating every aspect of our culture.

OK, how does this become a relevant topic? Well, take a look at what we do every day? The few of us left in our freakish little sub-culture we like to call bodybuilding, or any related group of people that collectively choose to walk around with the strongest, healthiest physical selves we can possibly create - we must ask ourselves, what is going on with this feeble nation of ours?

-Who in our nation said it was bad to be man-like, masculine or strong?
-Who in our society said it was wrong to want to be powerful physically, and healthy?
-ho in our society teaches that winning bad?
-who in our society believes that it is not an important life-lesson to learn how to win graciously, and more importantly, how to lose with class?

Is not the end-all product of hard work and effort the satisfaction of a job well done, regardless of the outcome? And, isn’t that one of the ways we lay the foundation of something we call character?
This unhealthy but popular notion that we must simply surrender to some unknown force or relinquish our independence – or, worse, that we are simply trading away our own liberties in exchange for the relinquishment of personal responsibility - that is what is cultivating this permeating disease of mediocrity.

THE ULTIMATE SIN:
You know, to God-fearing Christians (and followers of just about every other religious doctrine invented by mankind) THE ULTIMATE SIN IS HOPELESSNESS...DESPAIR.

So, what does that mean? I'll translate it for you...if not rewarded for working his or her proverbial ass off to win, by victory, then any practical human would ask him or herself - "why should I try harder? It’s not going to make a difference anyway."

For our precious children, including our daughter who runs and sweats and plays her little heart out on the soccer field to have the chance to earn legitimate, solid victory - perhaps feeling the challenge and the thrill of overcoming a taller player, or perhaps standing prideful because she attended all the practices this week, and has done her drills and knows she has paid a price for taking the top prize...for these kids, what kind of lesson are we teaching them when we de-value the prize of victory by taking the “win/lose” out of the equation with these “non-compete” leagues? What kind of value are we placing on determination, hard work, grit and struggle?

We are living in a world where things are not all equal for every individual...life is never fair, and it's rarely easy.
But thus is life. And, you know what? It's ok.
Making things easy by taking the sting out of losing, by taking away hard-earned rewards, stealing away the chance to feel victory or the chance to learn how to lose gracefully - these things weaken our society by weakening individuality and the right to choose to be the best we can be.

Thankfully, like some of us out there striving to be the best we can be.

At 619 Muscle, we work hard to nourish the drive – to help find and feed the inner SUPERHERO in each of us.

Thankfully, there are still a few of us left around who try harder, take every advantage given to us, study, learn, train, practice, eat and sleep properly to nourish the most powerful, healthy selves we can be. There is nothing more GOOD and RIGHT than to work hard to become the best you can be. It is your personal responsibility – not just to yourself, but also to mankind.

SQUARE CHICKENS?
Seek your achieve own ultimate potential. Maslow calls these fleeting hard-earned moments peak-experiences. They are what drive the innate spirit inside us. Let's forego these current trends of mediocrity and accepting, tolerance of sluggishness and gluttony...Let's step up as a nation, as a culture, and be the change we wish to see. Let's begin with ourselves, building a nation of superheroes, rather than a nation of pellet-fed, de-clawed, de-beaked, emasculated square chickens living in fear and bathing in a stew of mediocrity. We are the Modern Age of Superheroes, and we can change things, one rep at a time!

San Diego rocked! 619 Muscle style!

2010-03-24T21:59:00.001-07:00

It was another killer NPC event in the SoCal region! Thanks to Jon Lindsay and the NPC, we had over 200 hard-working athletes bringing their all and strutting their stuff in the packed house of the Scottish Rite Center here in America's finest city!
We want to congratulate all of the 619 Muscle friends and family who kicked butt, and left nothing for the short ride home!

Our friends who got up on stage and represented included: Kristi Krasja, Meg Kruse, Kristine Wilkes, Georgie Jackson, Lisa Raposa, Stephanie Love, Laleh Yaghoubi, Monique Whitney, Sandy Weathersley, Paige Clark, Julie Gjerset, Tammy LaShelle, Natalia, Billie and Brenda, Dr. Joy Blitz, Molly Aguilar, Michelle Bates, Tracey Rogers and Chuck Rogers, Koree VonBerg, David Medina, Jack Hill, Rory Love, Sylvia Duque, Vernessa and May, Carina, and the two Matt's from Camp Pendleton - as well as Kaysie Gunnoe, our dear friend of the family!

It was an amazing night! Derik Farnsworth, IFBB Pro and veteran of the stage, gave a classy/groovy guest posing presentation, and Meriza DeGuzman co-MC'd the evening event. Gina Aliotti (now Mrs. Silva) graced the day with her married self, all aglow, tanned and happy, freshly returning from her wedding and honeymoon.

619 MUSCLE GEARS UP FOR NPC SAN DIEGO!

2010-03-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Pete helps two of our nation's finest prepare for the battle on the stage, next week at the NPC San Diego Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships - March 20th, 2010.

Our tough, proud, U.S. Marines and amazing athletes, Matt Ewy and Matt Boatwright, joined Pete today at World Gym, San Diego, to drill posing and presentation in preparation for next week's show. IFBB Pro Figure, Sabrina Gibson, was also on hand to lend moral support! Let's get 'em, boys! OORAH!!

The Essence of Hardcore...

2010-03-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is hardcore. This is what we do. Our goal is to out-perform ourselves, every single day. This drive to be better than we were yesterday is the fuel that keeps us growing. It's a monkey on your back that pushes you to be bigger than you thought you could be, better than you were yesterday, to out-do yourself, exceed your own expectations and work to be your own, personal superhero. This is the 619 Muscle way of life!

Pete

"Back" to the grind!

2010-03-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

Back pounding, hard-core. It's growin' time! Watch me do pull ups...hahaha...not too bad for a bottom-heavy italian boy! ;) I'll get better as the diet kicks in, though!

Pete

2010 is rollin'along - Showtime in San Diego!

2010-03-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the Arnold - was a crazy busy time, fun, but fast and hectic - always is in Columbus. Had a great time, met up with old co-workers and friends, and pushed the family's cause while out in this annual industry/lifestyle gathering.

But now, this week, it's back home, back to the gym and back to business! Meriza's targeting the Cals, I'll be focusing on 20 more weeks of hard, hard training, and God-willing, I'll make an impression at the USA's. We've got many of our family gearing up for competition next week as well at the San Diego show! Best of luck to everyone! Kristi K (soon to be Romero...) is looking great, Rory and Steph have each made some amazing changes in their physiques, and both will show better than ever! Lisa Raposa will be making her stage debut, and is looking to do some damage in her class(es)...her hubby, Eric, has been crushing it and looks his typical awesome, hard-as-nails self...Ms. Kris W. is pushing hard to be the best she's ever been, and she's right on track! Family members Georgie and Meg are also in tremendous shape and will shine on stage! 619 Muscle friends, working with Mr. PD Devers, Laleh Yahgoubi and Monique Whitney are in amazing shape as well, as is our newest rookie, the beautiful Sandy Weathersley! (I'm so proud of lil' Ms. Sandy! we can't wait to see her strut her stuff! Jason G's working with his buddy, David M, who is looking ripped and ready - also making his stage debut next weekend...Derik's working with Jordan again, who's big, thick and ready for business in the lightheavies...it's gonna be a killer show, and the family is well-represented! And I've seen several other athletes prepping for the spring, so I'm not sure how close a few people are, but it's going to be a killer show, for sure!

Stay tuned for updates, pics and more!

And thanks in advance to Mr. Jon Lindsay and the NPC for what is sure to be another kick ass bodybuilding event in San Diego!

It's SHOWTIME, BABY!

JAY CUTLER DAY IV!! MR. O coming again to the 619!

2010-01-24T20:02:00.000-08:00

"619 Muscle presents JAY CUTLER DAY - IV!" August 21, 2010!
619 Muscle, SoCal's Sports Nutrition Authority, welcomes history making, 3x Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, to our 4th annIversary Parking Lot Bash and Supplement Expo - "JAY CUTLER DAY IN THE 619".

Where: 619 Muscle, 2949 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109 (at World Gym, San Diego)
When: August 21, 2010, festivities start at 10am!

What: Our 4th annual Anniversary Parking Lot Bash and Supplement Expo, featuring 3x Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler and many other bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness champions, and other industry celebrities!
GiveAways, mad sales and discounts, Strongman demonstrations, bikini contest and more!

Last year was insane!
This year promises to be even bigger, better, badder!

Mark your calendar and get ready to come wish Big Jay, the history making and reigning Mr. O, good luck as he prepares to defend his title one more time only a few short weeks after this event!

Special thanks to Jay, and to all the sponsors, vendors and participants of this event over the past several years...2010 promises to be the biggest yet!

Pete C

ONCE AGAIN...THE JOURNEY STARTS HERE!

2010-01-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

It's another turn of the year! Time for resolutions, time for promises to oneself...time to look in the mirror, take an honest inventory of our own strengths, shortcomings, and look for ways to improve ourselves...

Ongoing, continues quality improvement, that's the opportunity afforded us by the new year...

On that note, turn up your volume and laugh at some crazy meatheads getting busy, business as usual!

God bless the USA and 619 in 2010!

2009-12-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Some more crazy 619 Muscle-heads! Check out Kenny "the mad scottsman", and Donnie "cupcakes" D, crushing some back! Big Mike, missing from this clip, usually gets into the mix hard with these crazies! - warning: watch with caution - the events depicted in this video should not be tried at home, or without the proper supervision - these men are experts, and are doing these activities for demonstration purposes only - and to get frikkin BIG N STRONG!

More Pics from the Crazy Strongman Event!

2009-12-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

Special 619 Muscle thank you to all the vendors, sponsors and supporters of this awesome event!
619 Muscle would like to extend sincere thanks to the following:
World Gym San Diego
So Cal Strength Asylum
North American Strongman organization
Europa Sports
MusclePharm
Gaspari Nutrition
VPX
Axis Labs
Dymatize
MAN Sports
JS Nitro
ProSportShakers,
Freedom of Fitness
all the vendors who have supported us throughout the past year most importantly all of the hard working athletes that made our day a tremendous success!

STRONGMEN (and ladies)...INVADE THE 619!!

2009-12-13T11:47:00.001-08:00

619 MUSCLE played host to North American Strongman sanctioned
2nd Annual 619 Muscle Strongman Challenge this past weekend. Promoted by the powerhouse athletes themselves, Donnie and Kristen Rhodes and their training camp, SoCal Strength, this contest proved to be an exciting, explosive event to behold - barely hampered by the occasional December drizzle not uncommon to the region.

It was cold, but the crowd of athletes, spectators and vendors were undaunted - the primal thrill of sinew and bone facing off against the challenge of gravity, heavy iron and stone lit up 619 Muscle like a hot day in June!

2009 EXCALIBUR- 619 MUSCLE FAMILY SHOWS STRONG!

2009-12-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

This year's NPC Excalibur was an incredible way to close out 2009!! Mr. Jon Lindsay told me we had close to 300 competitors at this, the last NPC event of the year!

It was a killer show for the 619 Muscle family! Once again, our gym brothers and sisters made their marks once again, from bodybuilding to figure, we left our stamp on the L.A. stage - and big huge Congratulations to all of the athletes of our family!
Great showing, ms. Molly Goodwin, who came away with top honors in the Figure A class! Molly's been a dear friend of the family, and one of Meriza's hardest working clients since 2007 - we are so proud of her - and her ongoing competitive record speaks for itself!

Ms. Nel Bautista, another of our decorated girls, made a strong showing, by standing tall, 1st place out of almost 20 ladies in the master's C class. Nel is a vetaran of this show; tonight, she also battled for the top spot in the open class, taking 3rd in a huge class of 21 girls.
Sarah Butler gave a strong showing too! Sarah is fast-getting her figure-legs, and will be making some headway in upcoming events!
Ms. Dina Walsh scored another first place once again - Dina is new to the sport, but making some strong marks - she trains in World gym and we are all proud of her!

Jack Hill, took home another little bronze man, with a strong 3rd place finish in Masters - and he got engaged! Proving once again, that the right partner can help bring the best out of you! Go Jack! Be watching out for this athlete to bring it stronger, better and bigger in his next show!

Eric Raposa, movd up a weight class in the open division. He took 1st place in the masters, and got to stand in the overall against fellow 619 Muscle team member, Rory Love, who also won his class in Masters! Rory made some dramatic improvements to his lower body, and kicked butt, earning his 1st #1 trophy to date, but certainly not his last.

619 Muscle is a family of very hard-working, driven, successful people. Athlete's all of us, supportive, each bringing to the table energy, drive, and a hunger for self-improvement. None of us are perfect athletes, nor perfect people. But we all love what we do, and share a common passion, and a spirit to pursue self-improvement,and the art of physique perfection. This is the spirit of 619 Muscle - and the true ESSENCE OF HARDCORE

Where has 2009 gone?

2009-11-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

We have had a tremendous 2009!
I almost hate to see it go - for all the successful, wonderful experiences we shared as a 619 family! most recently, Mr. PD Devers bringing his best condition ever to the stage at the Nationals! Congrats PD!
And, Mike Nguyen, "superman Mike" doing his darndest at the recent Border States to steal top honors from Eric "perpetual shredded" Raposa, who was not to be taken lightly in the heated lightweight open class last month. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Eric stood shredded, and won that battle...but our own young'n powerhouse, Mike, took it to the novice class and came away last man standing!

Our 619 Muscle Bash was a screaming success, and namesake, Mr. Jay Cutler showed the world that it CAN BE DONE, three times! The history making comeback turned heads and silenced the critics...

Our good friends, Tamer and Branden, toe to toe once again at Nationals, looks like they'll have a few months to think about what Victory and that elusive pro-card taste and smell like! What a barn burner year!
Meriza made it to the O, once again with 3 top 5 finishes, and a tremendous run! Gina and her runner up O spot...Malachi with his trifecta of Cals, Jr. Cals and near miss at USA!
One thing for sure, all of us, working harder than ever, to keep the spirit and the energy up and the positive energy going... it ain't always easy, and life is never fair...but in the end, we all gotta keep in mind, it ain't where we end up that matters...

it's how far we've gone from where we started - that's how we judge our success.

And we've covered alot of ground as a family this year!

2010 - watch out!

Pete

JAY DOES IT AGAIN!

2009-10-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

CONGRATS TO OUR DEAR FRIEND, MR. JAY CUTLER!

Jay has worked hard this year, bringing what was arguably his best condition ever to the stage, in a tough, tough battle for the first place. WE in San Diego are super proud of our favorite super hero!

Jay has been a gracious supporter of our business and a great friend of the family for years - it is with sincere pleasure that we deliver heartfelt congratulations, and a welcome back to the Mr. Olympia throne!

Unbelievable achievement, from our fellow East Coast boy! Awesome work Jay!

"MEET THE OLYMPIANS 2009!" 619 representin'!

2009-09-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

Meriza and Gina getting ready to head to a meeting before the Olympia...two beautiful San Diego professionals, representin'! go get 'em girls!

The beautiful SoCal ladies that all happen to be Figure Olympians this year! We're here in Las Vegas, Meriza, Sonya, Krissy and the rest of the incredible professional physique athletes who are preparing to do battle on the Olympia stage this weekend, have a chance to meet their fans tonight at the VIP "Meet the Olympians" event.

The big draws at tonight's event (other than these and all the lovely ladies) included friend of 619, Big Jay Cutler, Kai Greene, and the many other tremendous athletes!

It's going to be a crazy weekend! More pics to come soon from the Expo and more!

Pete

BIG THANKS VITARGO / GENr8!

2009-09-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Mr. Almada discussing the benefits of Vitargo, how it works, why it's a great post-workout recovery carb product, a pre-workout fuel, and more!

Pete and Sugar Shawn...

Shawn broadcasting the No Bull Radio show from the counter of 619 Muscle! Super Mike standing by!

It was a tremendous day for us yesterday, thanks to Shawn Ray, Anthony Almada and the crew from Vitargo/GENR8! We had some real industry celebrities in the house, and had the opportunity to sample and learn more about this super-carbohydrate product!

Hear Shawn Ray's live broadcast from the counter of our store!

http://www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=41165

Thanks again Shawn, Anthony and the entire Vitargo/GENr8 crew for a tremendous event!

Pete

SUPER SHAWN RAY VISITS THE 619! MON 9/21! 5-7PM!!

2009-09-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

That's right! 619 Muscle welcomes one of the LEGENDS of the sport of bodybuilding - SHAWN RAY!
Now a representative for Vitargo/GENr8, Shawn also hosts the No Bull Radio show weekly on Musculardevelopment.com.

SHAWN will be doing his radio show from our home, 619 Muscle, and he will be bringing some of the GENr8 staff to the gym from 5-7pm.
Come check it out, Monday Sept 21, from 5-7pm in the 619 Muscle store and World Gym, San Diego!

Learn more about Vitargo, the most powerful, clinically-proven rapid-absorbing, performance-boosting carbohydrate ever!!
Free Samples, information...and SHAWN the legend RAY!!

We'll be selling Vitargo/GENr8 all day long to celebrate this event!

Pete

The "619 MUSCLE EFFECT"

2009-09-09T20:07:00.001-07:00

Anyone who's a fan of the sport has likely seen the infamous black and white photos of Dorian, Mr. O, circa 1993, December issue of FLEX magazine. For those of you who aren't familiar with the pics I'm talking about, they showed before and after pics of the Shadow, legendary bodybuilder, Mr. Dorian Yates, after a period of hard training.

The cool thing about photos like this is you get to see the changes to a physique that are barely noticeable day by day. We've got several hard-training competitive athletes in our family - one we're very proud of is former World's Strongest Teen and Teenage bench press champion, "superman" Mike Nguyen. Mike has been training hard for the past 2 years with me, and has made some tremendous gains. Mike is 100% free of any type of performance enhancing drugs, is 100% dedicated to following a solid nutritional plan, and a rigorous training program. What follows may be disturbing to some, unbelieveable to others...we're just proud as heck of Super Mike...and we wish him the best as he prepares for the upcoming NPC Border States...

Mike, 2007, 158-159lbs

Mike, 2009, 159lbs

Mike, 2007

Mike, 2009

MERIZA ROCKS IN HOUSTON!!

2009-08-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Meriza, Krissy, and all the girls who BROUGHT IT in Houston this past weekend. Heather Mae took top honors, followed by Erin Stern, then our own 619 Muscle Meriza taking the 3rd spot and gathering momentum for the big show! Our dear friend, Ms. Krissy Chin followed up closely; and congrats to new Pro, Katina Maisterllis, for rockin' right up into the top 5 group! It was a heated battle in hot and humid Houston...all the ladies were sharp and on point - a great show presented by Lee Thompson - congrats to all!

Pete

619 MUSCLE BASH III - compilation video!!

2009-08-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Todd T for shooting and editing this one for us!

Enjoy!

Some great shots of all the pro's, the contests, and all the craziness!

Pete

here we go!

2009-08-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

619 Muscle Bash III - Jay Cutler Day rocked Once Again!

2009-08-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

With over 40 vendors, and an estimated 500 people in attendance, and more muscle, more Fitness, Figure, and bodybuilding celebrities and MORE IFBB OLYMPIANS than ever before, powerful champion strength athletes and bikini girls, prizes and give-aways totalling over $4,000 and over $350,000 worth of American Muscle Cars, there was something for everyone in attendance!

We are EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO ALL IN ATTENDANCE - everyone in the 619 Muscle family who pulled together to pull off this tremendous event - we thank you!
And a very special thanks to Jay, Troy, Silvio, Derik, Brandon, Meriza, Gina, Tanji, Marzia, Elaine, Sandra, Alicia, Nita, Krissy and Troy, and Branden Ray, all the vendors, and of course all of our dear family, clients, customers and friends....
We are blessed to be able to come together and share in the celebration or our lifestyle...

Thanks to Dax and JoJo for their support and a big thanks to World Gym San Diego, Daddy Rick and all the guys for putting up with us as we commandeered the parking lot!

See ya soon in the 619!

Pete

More pics from the crazy 619 Bash!

2009-08-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

619 Muscle BASH! rocked once again!

2009-08-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

here are just a few pics of the crazy party we had this past weekend!
40+ vendors, more IFBB Celebrities and athletes, Strongman and Female strength athlete demonstrations, muscle cars, bench pressing, bikini's, supplements, it was one heck of a great time!
here are just a few more pics...

http://boards.flexonline.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2341&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

thanks to Dave, and Big Lou for posting up more pics!
and very special thanks to Big Jay, Silvio, Troy, Brandon, Derik, and all the pro's who were in attendance...It was a special day for all in attendance!

Can hardly wait til the Bash #4!~

but we'll have to wait til next year!...

Pete